Smoking article with filtering means



July 7, 1959 H. G. JACOBY SMOKING ARTICLE WITH FILTERING MEANS FiledJuly 25, 1957 IN V EN TORI Hans 6i Jacay BY 477'0/5'WEK5 more or lessconventional; dry filters. posed previously to provide for the 'wettingof filtering the smoking article.

United States Patent 9 This invention relates tosmoking articlesprovided with filtering means and more particularly to filterequippedsmoking articles, having provision fior selectively moistening thefiltering medium. The invention is especially applicable to so-calledfilter-tipcigarettes.

As is now publicly well known, there have, in recent years, beennumerous surveys and studies according to 3 which impurities, such astars and nicotine, in tobacco smoke have a deleterious effect onsmokers,it being believed by many that such impurities when drawn in by thesmoker in the quantities normally in unfiltered tobacco .smoke areconducive to serious disease, particularly disease of the lungs.Thewidely held belief that the smoking of conventional or non-filteringcigarettes or cigars may bring on such serious results has led to manyproposals for filtering the tobacco smoke, as for example by causing thesmoke to be drawn through a so-called filter tip in the mouth end of thesmoking article and usually comprising a cotton or cellulose mass eitherWadded or rolled. Laboratory tests reported recently in the public presshave indicated that there is a rather wide divergence between theeffectiveness of such filter tips in removing injurious substances fromtobaccosmoke, and many persons share doubt as to the substantialeffectiveness of the It has been promaterial, e.g. normally dry cottonor cellulose, just prior to smoking, and as a result of tests I havefound that such wetting of the filtering material does increase theeffectiveness :of the filter in producing a more enjoyable and coolersmoking sensation or taste; and I furthermore believe that wetting ofthe filtering material enhances its purity removing qualities.

Among the difiiculties inherent in previously proposed filter tipcigarettes intended to be smoked only after wetting of the filteringmaterial, have been that the moistening means sometimes interferes withthe normal flow of .smoke through the filtering material and thatsometimes,

because of the construction ofthe cigarette, the smoker may forgetto'wet the filtering material before smoking the cigarette.

An object of the present invention is to provide a smoking articleequipped with filtering means and filter Another object of the inventionis tov provide an article of the class referred to in which the filtermoistening means is so connected to a filter tip as to permit itsconnection with the smoking article .without necessitating substantialchanging of the machinery used for producing In achieving this object, Iprefer to connect a container for liquid detachably to the month end ofa filter tip cigarette or the like.

Another object of the invention is to Provide a smoking article of thekind referred to in which a liquid supplying means is so associated witha filter ,tip as to require handling and removal ofthe'liquid supplyingmeans prior Patented July 7,1959

2 to smoking of the cigarette or the like, so that the iisi necessarilyis reminded to wet the filtering material before smoking.

Another object of the invention is to provide a smok ing articleequipped with a detachable container for liquid, the container having aprotuberance or the like for facilitating its being detached from thefilter tip.

A further object of the invention is to. provide a smoking article Ofthe kind referred to including, as part of the filter tip construction,a non-hygroscopic lining for the relatively porous and hygroscopicfilter tip wall, usually of cardboard or the like, normally used infilter tip constructions for enclosing the filtering material, thearrangement being such that when the filtering material is moistened thehygroscopic cardboard or the like wall accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a filter tip cigarette embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is a view partially in axial or longitudinal section andpartially in elevation of the cigarette shown in Figure l, drawn on anenlarged scale;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a view partially in longitudinal or axial section andpartially in elevation, showing a modified construction.

The smoking article shown in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, is in thegeneral form of the now familiar filter tip cigarette, including aburnable paper wrapping or casing l, a filling of smoke producingmaterial, e.g. tobacco 2, and a filter tip at the mouth end, comprisinga filter casing constituted by a relatively stiff wall 3 of hygroscopicmaterial such as relatively thick paper or thin cardboard. A thin wall 4of non-hygroscopic material, such as metal foil, forms a lining for theinside of the casing wall 3 .so as to be interposed between the casingwall 3 and a relatively thick mass of filtering material 5 which may beof wadded cotton or rolled gauze, rolled crimped cellulose sheetmaterial or the like. The filtering material 5 extends from the smokeinlet end of the filter adjacent to the tobacco filling 2 to a zoneshort of the month end or smoke outlet end of the filter tip so as toleave a free space 6 between the filtering material 5 and the extrememouth end of the cigarette. Aside from the provision of the lining wall4 of non-hygnosoopic material, the cigarette with its filter tip is ofsubstantially conventional and well known construction.

In accordance with the invention, a container member for liquid, in theform shown a resilient squeezable or compressible bulb 7 of rubber orsuitable synthetic plastic or the like, and holding a quantity of liquid8, is detachably connected to i.e. is removably mounted on the month endof the filter casing beyond the filtering material 5. For this purpose,the container may be provided with a peripheral flange 9 having its edgeturned in thedirection of the cigarette axis so as to embrace the filtercasing and hold the container in the position shown in Figure 2,extending across or spanning the outer end of the casing and therebysubstantially sealing and closing the casing. A part of the container 7extending into the space 6 in the filtering material casing 3, 4 isadapted, or is formed in a manner, to permit liquid 8 within andcontacting theinside of the container to be discharged from thecontainer upon squeezing of the latter. In the form shown, the container7 is formed integrally wih a neck 10 having a passage 11 ofsubstantially capillary or relatively very small size as compared to thecross section of the casing 1 so as normally to prevent the leakage ofliquid 8 from the container 7. The container 7 is completely closedexcept for the opening 11 and is mounted with the container wall or partopposite the'opening 11 positioned at the outlet end of the casing 1 soas to be exposed and uncovered.-

It is intended that each of the cigarettes in a box or package beprovided or fitted detachably with a container 7 containing liquid 8 asillustrated in Figure 2. The manner of attaching the containers 7 to thecigarettes by circumferential engagement of a portion of the containermember with the inner wall of the casing is such that the containers maybe fitted or attached to the cigarette constructions proper, so tospeak, after the latter have been formed or manufactured with existingequipment, thus obviating the necessity of making expensive changes inthe basic cigarette manufacturing machinery.

In use, the smoker in withdrawing a cigarette from the packageimmediately sees that the smoking end is closed by the container 7, andis thus reminded that the container should be squeezed and removedbefore smoking, in turn insuring that the filtering material 5 will bemoistened before a cigarette is smoked. The smoker may squeeze thedesired amount of liquid 8 from the container 7 prior to detaching thecontainer from the filter tip casing, experience having establishedabout how much squeezing will be necessary to effect the required degreeof moistening of the filtering material 5. After the container 7 hasbeen squeezed or compressed to discharge liquid 8 into the filter 5, thecontainer is simply pulled off the end of the casing and the cigaretteis ready for smoking. For facilitating detaching the container from thefilter casing, the exposed end of the container 7 opposite the dischargeopening 11 desirably is provided with a protuberance 12 extendingoutwardly from the container and cigarette, the protuberance beingeasily graspable by the fingers. Alternately, and at least until :aparticular smoker has determined the amount of moistening the filterrequires to suit his taste, the container 7 may be detached from thefilter tip casing before being squeezed, the detached container beingthen held above the space 6 and the container then compressed to causeliquid to be delivered drop by drop onto the filtering material 5.Usually, about 2 to 3 drops of a solution of about .l% to about 25% ofglycerine in water by volume is advisable. Such a quantity of liquiddispersed in the filtering material 5 would be sufficient to moisten andthereby render the casing wall 3 weak or limber if the filteringmaterial were permitted to be in contact with the wall 3. In accordancewith the present invention, the lining 4 of non-hygroscopic materialshields the casing wall 3 against moisture and permits the filter tipconasoasso f struction, as a whole, to remain firm which not only is'desirable from the standpoint of the smokers comfort, but which alsoprevents the filtering material from being compacted by partialcollapsing or pressing in of the filter tip wall structure.

The construction shown in Figure 5 is similar to that described abovewith reference to Figures 1 to 4, with the exception that the liquidcontainer is of modified form. The Figure 5 construction includes awrapping 1, tobacco filling 2, casing wall 3, casing wall liner 4, andfiltering material mass 5, all of the kind described with reference toFigures 1 to 4, and in the same general relative arrangement. The Figure5 construction, however, includes a modified bulb or container 7', againof squeezable or compressible material such as rubber or syntheticplastic. The liquid contained in the bulb 7 is indicated at S. The bulb7 has a flange 9 embracing the tip end of the cigarette, a neck 10formed with a capillary opening 11 for delivering liquid, and a fingergraspable protuberance 12'. The bulb 7, shown in Figure 5, differs fromthe bulb 7 shown in Figures 1 to 4 in that the bulb 7' is relativelyflat on its outer end surface, as distinguished from the relativelyhemispheric outer end surface of the bulb 7 shown in Figures 1 to 4. Thebulb 7 shown ing Figures l and 2 has the advantage that the hemisphericouter surface, facilitates squeezing of the bulb prior to its beingremoved from the filter tip, Whereas the bulb 7 shown in Figure 5 hasthe advantage that its relatively flat outer surface may besubstantially flush with'the adjacent end of the filter tip constructionso :as to make it possible to enclose a number of cigarettes in apackage of shorter length.

An advantage ofboth of the constructions shown in Figures 1 to 4 and inFigure 5 is that the user may very easily control the extent to' whichthe filtering material 5 is moistened before smoking. As is generallyknown by smokers, the smoke drawing characteristics of cigarettes,including filter tip cigarettes as well as ordinary cigarettes, variesconsiderably according to the condition of the cigarettes when removedfrom the package, which in turn depends importantly upon atmosphericconditions. Thus, cigarettes which have been kept in a heated enclosurein the winter frequently will be quite dry, despite purported hermeticsealing of the packages, whereas, in the summer and particularly inhumid climates, cigarettes are relatively quite damp when removed frompackages. The degree of moistureina body of filtering material asremoved from' a packagejmay vary to such an extent that for best smokingenjoyment and impurity removing results, more or less liquid should beadded to the filtering material before smoking. Constructions accordingto the present invention make it very simple for the user to introduceinto the filtering material the amount of added moisture he has found toproduce the best results according to the condition of the filter asrespects moisture when the cigarette is removed from the package.

The constructions disclosed embody the invention in preferred forms, butit is intended that the disclosure be illustrative rather thandefinitive, the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a filter tip cigarette or the like smoking article, a burnablecasing having an inlet end and an outlet end; smoke producing materialwithin said casing between said inletend and said outlet end terminatingshort of said outlet end; filtering material other'than said smokeproducing material within said casing between said smoke producingmaterial and said outlet end; and a resilient container member havingliquid therein contacting the inside of the container itself and beingremovably mounted on and supported by said casing at said outlet endthereof beyond said filtering, material, extending across andsubstantially closing said outlet end, and having a discharge openingdirected toward said filtering material for delivering liquid from saidcontainer to said filtering material upon compressing of said resilientcontainer memher, said dischange opening being of relatively very smallsize as compared to the cross section of said casing, and said containermember being completely closed except for said discharge opening, thepart of said container member opposite said discharge opening beingexposed and uncovered at said casing outlet end.

2. A smoking article according to claim 1 in which said filteringmaterial terminates short of said outlet end to leave a space within thecasing adjacent the outlet end thereof, said container member beingmounted to extend within said space, whereby when said container isremoved from said casing there will be a free space within said casingbetween said outlet end and said filtering material.

3. A smoking article according to claim 1 in which said container membercomprises a portion circumferentially engaging said casing whereby saidcontainer member closes said casing Outlet end.

4. A smoking article according to claim 1 in which said container memberis formed as a squeezable bulb fitting within and contacting the innerwall of said casing, and is provided with a flange extending across saidcasing 5 outlet end, said flange having an edge extending in thedirection of the axis of said smoking article and embracing said casingat the outlet end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 6Mulford Dec. 27, 1927 Shapiro Oct. 26, 1943 Fields Sept. 8 1953 TroyFeb. 23, 1954 Statia July 17, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Jan.21, 1932 France Mar. 29, 1924

